Improved apparatus for amalgamating gold and silver with lead



H. L. FULTON.'

Dry Amalgamator.

AM. PHOTO LITHIL CO-N-Y. (DSBORNE'S PROCES S.)

Patented June 5. 1866vl Inventor.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

II. L. FULTON, OE oHIcAeo, ILLINOIS.

IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR AMALGAMATING GOLD AND SILVER WITH LEAD.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 55,273., dated June 5, 1866.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, H. L. FULTON, ot' the city of Chicago, county of'Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Amalgamators, for the purpose of separating the metals from auriferous and argentiferous ores; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description ot' the construction and operation of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is an isometrical perspective view, showing the arch with the amalgainating-ves sel set in it, the cylinderin the vessel, and the conveyer projecting from the desulphurizingchamber between the arch and chimney. Fig. 2 is a side view of the cylinder with the vessel in section, showing how the cylinder should pass through the partition and the position ot' the hopper relative to the conveyer. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the shaft and helix, with ahorizontal section of the cylinder and bearings of the shaft.

Like letters refer to like parts.

A is the cylinder; A', the conveyer; B, the vessel, C, the shaft, (l, the helix; D, thepartition across the vessel; E, the hopper; F, the inlet-spout; G, the inlet-opening H, the ontlet from cylinder.

The nature of my invention consists in the use ofthe hollow cylinder A, with its shaft O and helix or series of helices Cf, so placed in theamalgamating-vessel B that theinlet-spout F for the pulverized desulphurized ore and the inlet-opening Gfor the amalgamating-Iluid shall be on one side of partition D, near the top of the duid, and the outlet H shall be on the other side, near the bottom, as represented in Fig. 2 of the drawings.

The operation will be substantially as follows, viz: Having the vessel B, of any convenient form, lled With melted lead or any amalgamating-uid to a little above the inletopening G, to prevent any material placed upon it to check oxidation from being drawn into the cylinder A with the uid when the shaft C is set in motion, the heat from the arch passes through the desulphurizing-chamber under the conveyer A', (which is shown in Fig. l projecting from the chamber,) for the purpose of heating the ore as it is carried through the chamber from the back side of the chimney to the hopper E over the vessel B. The spout F connects the hopper to the cylinder A, and the heated ore falls into the current ofamalgamating-iiuid entering by the opening G, said current being produced by the revolution ot' the helical shaft C, set in motion by any convenient machinery, so arranged that either the shaft C or the conveyer A may be started or stopped independently of eachother.

The refuse of the Ore as it rises from the outlet H will soon cover the surface of the tluid on the other side of the partition D from where it entered, and may be blown off by a fan or removed in any other convenient manner'.

Having thus fully described the nature of my invention, I would state that I am aware that the helix is an old device used for many mechanical purposes, also, that lead and mercnry have been used to separate gold and silver from auriferous and argenti ferons ores but NVhat I do claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

Ihe arrangement, in combination, of the amalgamating-vessel B, its partition D, the hollow cylinder A, with its helical shaft C, its hopper E, its spout F, and its opening G, in the manner and for the purposes specified, substantially as described.

H. L. FULTON.

Witnesses:

E. A. WEs'r, D. J LYON. 

